In Rogue Warrior, the United States has sent in Richard Marcinko, a veteran Navy SEAL, on a mission into North Korea to disrupt ballistic missile launchers. As players progress, Marcinko will encounter numerous enemies and allies as he is sent from locations such as Korea, Russia, and others to pursue terrorists with dangerous missile capabilities. The plot is loosely based on the autobiography by the game’s protagonist, Richard Marcinko.

The game was originally being developed by Zombie Studios, who was in early development stages of the game. Soon after, Bethesda stated that they weren’t satisfied with the direction Zombie Studios was taking the game. Bethesda quickly scrapped the project and brought in Rebellion Development to develop an entire new game from scratch. Rebellion, while retaining some major elements from Zombie’s rendition, has taken a whole new approach to the game and its focus.